Object of My Affection by Tracey H. Kitts Page A

nice of him to mention it, but I honestly hadn’t given any thought to whether or not he might have seen anything that night. I was more concerned with my life than any modesty I might still possess.
    Later, when Elijah walked me to the door, I hugged him tightly, but couldn’t bring myself to say goodnight. It felt more like goodbye, and I didn’t want to say goodbye. Finally, I pulled back and he said, “Goodnight.”
    I just smiled. I couldn’t bring myself to repeat the farewell.
    Elijah kissed me softly and I let him. I was excited about Alfred coming back, but I was going to miss Elijah. Of course, I would still see him, but not like this. Why was nothing ever easy?
    When he pulled back from me he smiled and I felt better just to see it. That smile reassured me without words that everything was alright.
    —
    After I watched Elijah drive away, I went into the kitchen before making my way upstairs. Smacking Lola around had given me an appetite. Even though it was the middle of the night, I knew better than to let myself go hungry. I did not want to be sick a few hours later because I hadn’t taken the time to eat.
    As I walked into the kitchen, I pressed the button to get my messages. I had one call of obscene noises immediately followed by a shrill laugh I knew belonged to Kat. She was one of the very few people I liked to watch get drunk. Maybe I found it so entertaining because it didn’t affect me the same way. The next message was Kat apologizing for the first message and saying she needed Elijah’s number because, “I don’t want him here at the butt crack of dawn or anything.”
    The third message was from Richard. He just wanted to thank me for listening. He also said things at work had progressed to the point he felt he needed to seek legal advise on how to handle the situation. I felt bad for him, but there was really nothing I could do.
    I looked into the fridge and thought how wonderful it would be to have Alfred back to do the grocery shopping. I’d made the effort to keep fresh fruit in the house since that’s my preference for breakfast, but I hated grocery shopping.
    Actually, I hated shopping of most any kind which made me really weird according to Kat. Occasionally, I did enjoy shopping to redecorate the house, or something along those lines, but that was about it.
    I took out a bowl of fresh cherries and called Kat while I ate. After I’d eaten nearly half the bowl of cherries and hung up with Kat, I felt like I should call Richard. I looked at the clock and thought he might be asleep. Well, any normal person would be asleep, but not Richard. He was probably up watching some sort of sci-fi marathon. I should have called, but I was tired.
    I put away the remaining cherries and made my way upstairs. The boots got kicked off as soon as I was in the door and I peeled off the tight leather pants on my way to the bed.
    Before going into the bathroom, I flung the balcony doors open wide to let in the breeze. The rain we had enjoyed recently had left the evenings cooler and the breeze that night was fairly strong. I turned my back on the balcony and snatched off my right sock. After taking a few more steps, I removed my left sock and let it stay where it fell. I left the bathroom door open while I hung the black hat on the end of the hook where my robe was and took a look in the full length mirror.
    I laughed when I realized every article of clothing I’d worn that night had matched, right down to my panties. As I stood there barefoot, in my black lacy panties and matching shirt I struck a dramatic pose and pointed my finger at the mirror.
    “This is a stick up.” I laughed.
    “You have no idea,” a rough and recognizable voice drifted in through the open window.
    I turned sharply, but didn’t see anyone. Quickly I walked out onto the balcony and looked over, but he wasn’t there either.
    “Look up,” the voice called again.
    There in the trees directly in front of my balcony sat Marco,